Blow on It and It Won't Hurt

Outside an ordinary restaurant, Wen Shuang and Lin Nuan stood beneath the shade of a tree.

As soon as Wen Shuang came down from the mountain, he saw the overwhelming comments online. Naturally, Lin Nuan had seen them too. The young woman froze for a moment, then gave a faint, emotionless smile. It was the sort of resignation that had been completely expected, one that required no struggle at all. Yet it stabbed Wen Shuang hard. He had always known that the entertainment industry's tides could change in an instant, but not to this extent.

Wen Shuang had not yet been poisoned by the industry and could not accept the situation as it was. He pulled out his phone, intending to clarify things on Weibo, only for the usually quiet Lin Nuan to suddenly leap three feet into the air. The cameramen had gone to eat, giving the artists a brief chance to catch their breath. Lin Nuan could not care about anything else as she pressed down his hand. "Are you crazy? Your fans are fighting their hardest for you right now, and you're going to speak up for me? What are they supposed to think? Your rivals and antis will eat you alive!"

Lin Nuan understood this better than anyone. As she said those words, she suddenly felt deeply grateful to Wen Shuang, and grateful that she had not listened to her manager and done something irreversible.

Wen Shuang stared at her. "Then what about you?"

"Whatever." Lin Nuan shrugged. "Even bad publicity is publicity. There are four trending topics about me on the hot search right now. My team might be over the moon."

Wen Shuang felt a tightness in his chest. Beneath Lin Nuan's carefree exterior, he touched that rust-covered soul for the first time.

Jiang Ning arrived just in time to hear Lin Nuan say that, and his steps paused slightly.

Wen Shuang looked at Jiang Ning. Jiang Ning shook his head. "The cameramen are already checking their recordings. We don't know whether they caught anything."

Lin Nuan had long since given up hope. Since the other party dared to do it, they must have chosen the timing carefully.

"We just don't know who the real target was." Lin Nuan said something only the three of them could understand. "Either way, you two should be careful too."

"We should be careful?" Jiang Ning laughed. "Sis, if this keeps escalating, there's a ninety percent chance you won't be coming to the next recording. Your manager still hasn't contacted you?"

Lin Nuan shook her head. That was not a good sign.

And with the secret thoughts tucked away in her heart, she thought that if she could not come back, then so be it. It would be best if she could get the hell out of this industry.

It would not have been an exaggeration to say Lin Nuan had been offered up as a sacrifice these past few days. Her fans did not even have a chance to speak. The antis did not need to do anything; not only Wen Shuang's fans, but even Jiang Ning's fans had joined in. After all, if Wen Shuang had not pulled Jiang Ning away at the time, their idol would have been the one shoved down. Many people even speculated that Lin Nuan's original target had not been Wen Shuang at all, but Jiang Ning.

The fans were horrified once they thought it through, so naturally they would not let Lin Nuan off easily. Meanwhile, Lin Nuan's manager and PR team were both playing dead. Relying on them would be worse than relying on a pig.

Wen Shuang was rarely this irritated. Everyone inside was acting more normal than the next, and even if he had his suspicions, he had no evidence. With a dark expression, Wen Shuang walked to a roadside faucet and rinsed the wound on his left wrist. Lin Nuan let out an "Ah!" and immediately took tissues from the small bag she carried with her.

"Don't yell." Wen Shuang warned her. "Are you afraid they don't know?" His skin was fair, so any redness, swelling, or marks always looked especially alarming. Fortunately, the wound was no longer bleeding. Earlier, sweat had gotten into it and made it sting.

Jiang Ning ordered three bowls of noodles. By the time they had nearly finished eating, several cameramen approached from a distance. Lin Nuan immediately carried her bowl away from Wen Shuang and the others. Seeing that, even Jiang Ning felt an unusual tightness in his chest.

"Does the production team not intend to deal with this?" With Lin Nuan gone, Wen Shuang asked quietly.

Jiang Ning seized the time to answer. "That seems to be the case for now. Look at those cameramen—do any of them actually seem nervous? Lin Nuan has a terrible reputation. Most of the time, her value is disposable; use her and throw her away. Then they can bring Han Ling back, keep the show's popularity, and ride this wave of attention too."

"Jiang Ning." A cameraman hoisted his camera onto his shoulder. Before it was turned on, Wen Shuang said one last thing. "It shouldn't be like this."

Lin Nuan did not even dare stand with her ordinary-person partner. Instead, she silently trailed at the back of the group. Wen Shuang occasionally looked back and saw her casually picking wildflowers by the roadside to play with.

They could not count on her team, nor could they count on the production team. Wen Shuang should not act rashly either, or he would not only provoke his fans but also drag Zhu Lian and the others into trouble. At a time like this, the only people Lin Nuan could truly rely on were her die-hard fans.

Perhaps even Lin Nuan herself had not expected her fans to rewatch the footage with microscopes.

At the time, several cameras had been pointed at the other artists, and the screen had shown six video sections in total. After Lin Nuan cried out, the camera shook violently before the feeds were merged into one. Braving the bloody storm outside, her fans watched it frame by frame, and they really did find something!

The third split-screen had been filming Wang Yuze's group. In slow motion, a hand reached out from behind Wang Yuze. Then, in the fourth split-screen, that hand was aimed at Lin Nuan!

Just as Lin Nuan had said, the other party had a clear target, which was why they moved so quickly. With everyone crowded together and plenty of people blocking the view, they dared to give that shove.

It was a man's hand, with a bit of blue shirt cuff visible at the wrist.

The fans immediately pulled up the guests' entrance footage and checked them one by one. Only two people had been wearing blue shirts: Jiang Ning and Wu Tan!

That bastard had seemed much steadier during the past two recordings, but he had been waiting to pull this here!

Lin Nuan's fans organized the evidence and threw it straight out, no different from dropping a bomb onto the already turbulent internet!

Most of Wen Shuang's fans were laid-back, and Jiang Ning's fans were not unreasonable either. As soon as the news came out, everyone rushed to verify it, only to find that the evidence was genuine. They did dislike Lin Nuan, true, but that did not mean they would let off someone who had targeted Jiang Ning or Wen Shuang behind the scenes. Having someone like that among the guests was terrifying! That mountain road had been so steep—was Wu Tan not afraid of actually getting someone killed?!

The situation became increasingly uncontrollable. By the time everyone emerged from the second scenic spot, the production team called a halt midway through filming.

Wu Tan watched several directors walk toward him, and his face instantly went deathly pale.

Taking advantage of everyone's attention being drawn away, Jiang Ning leaned close to Wen Shuang and whispered, "My manager sent me a message. The production team asked Power One for their opinion. Since this is so serious, it was reported directly to President Xuan. Honestly, the best solution would have been to sacrifice Lin Nuan and let it all blow over, but President Xuan said whoever pushed her would have to pay the price. Brother." Jiang Ning nudged Wen Shuang. "President Xuan really dotes on you."

Otherwise, why would a capitalist like him rather halt the show than dig out Wu Tan? How much money would that cost every minute?

Wen Shuang was still immersed in the thought, Just as expected of my man, he has principles, when Jiang Ning's last sentence made him pause. "Dotes on me?"

"Of course." Jiang Ning continued, "Can't you tell? President Xuan is determined to deal with Wu Tan."

Xuan Zhe had already driven to the entrance of the second location. The recording had been suspended. Once he personally gave the order, even if the directors got on their knees and begged forgiveness one by one, it would be useless. At worst, they would cancel the show altogether. Xuan Zhe did not hesitate in the slightest.

Zhu Lian arrived in the nanny van and pointed Wen Shuang toward a black car by the roadside in the distance.

Boyfriend! Wen Shuang's eyes instantly lit up. He had been listless before, but now even his wings perked right up.

Before leaving, Wen Shuang softly told Lin Nuan, who was still completely out of the loop and unable to process what had happened, "It's not time for you to give up yet. Your fans haven't given up either. There are so many of them, always supporting you."

Lin Nuan stood where she was and lowered her head at once.

She could face countless slanders, her defenses as hard as iron, but she could not bear even the slightest kindness.

Wen Shuang jogged all the way over and pulled open the rear door. The moment he saw Xuan Zhe, he did not know why, but a sour warmth instantly flooded through him. He did not even notice President Xuan's frost-covered expression as he opened his arms for a hug.

Xuan Zhe: "..."

Xuan Zhe caught him. After holding him for two seconds, Wen Shuang knelt on the seat cushion and leaned forward for their customary kiss.

Cao Nanyu, who had been watching their every move and felt his insides twist into a knot from the sourness, immediately erupted into an earth-shattering fit of coughing.

Little Quail's wings immediately folded tightly against his body. So embarrassed that he became obedient.

When President Xuan shot him a murderous glare, Assistant Cao hurriedly raised the divider and stepped on the gas to drive back.

"Behave!" Xuan Zhe pressed Wen Shuang into his seat. His expression was awful; he did not even know where to begin settling all these scores. Yet the person beside him was not afraid in the least. After less than two quiet seconds, he stuck close again.

Xuan Zhe grabbed Wen Shuang's wrist. "Can't you understand what I'm saying?"

Wen Shuang let out a muffled grunt. Xuan Zhe immediately released him, his tone tense. "What happened?"

Only after taking off his clothes could he see the scrape on his wrist and the red swelling and bruises on his shoulder and elbow. Wen Shuang had run over with steady steps just now, so Xuan Zhe thought he was fine. Who knew this person had been holding back such a big move for him!

"Blow on it." Wen Shuang held his wrist up to Xuan Zhe's lips. "If you blow on it, it won't hurt anymore."

He had only meant to tease Xuan Zhe, but the man stared at the wound on his wrist for several seconds before lowering his head slightly.

Wen Shuang's eyes abruptly widened.

This sort of thing... seemed like something Xuan Zhe really should not be doing.

But he's my boyfriend, Wen Shuang thought.

Blowing on it was not enough—Xuan Zhe also gently kissed it, his heartache obvious.

"Take off your pants too. Are your legs hurt as well?" Xuan Zhe's tone softened completely.

Wen Shuang was not very willing. What was with taking off his pants again and again?!

When Xuan Zhe saw that he was not moving, he directly lifted him onto his lap. Once he tucked him into his arms, Wen Shuang obediently settled down.

His right calf was also covered in scrapes. Xuan Zhe took out an alcohol wipe and briefly disinfected them, then told Cao Nanyu to drive back to Clear Day Manor. A doctor was already waiting there.

Wen Shuang had never imagined that one day he would be curled up in a man's arms wearing shorts and a short-sleeved shirt. But this embrace felt far too safe. Wen Shuang stared at the man's sexy Adam's apple to feast his eyes, then suddenly tugged at his clothes, took out the protective charm from his pocket, and handed it to Xuan Zhe. "Either keep it in the car or carry it on you. Pick one."

"Believe in science." Xuan Zhe sounded helpless, but then seemed to think of something and accepted it after all.

If things were truly that rigorous, then where had his Little Quail come from?